Senior Engineer, Design and Contract Standards

Fonction publique de l'Ontario; Toronto; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Ontario Public Service in Kingston, Ontario, is seeking a Senior Engineer to lead highway design and contract standards within the Highway Design Office. The role covers multiple Ontario cities, providing technical guidance and standards development across provincial highways.

You will manage projects, coordinate consultants, and advance highway design, safety, and drainage standards, contributing to a safe, sustainable transportation system for Ontarians.

Qualifications

• You are licensed with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) or eligible in a Canadian Province and will obtain a PEO license as a condition of employment.
• You possess a valid driver's license or equivalent, as recognized by Ontario.
• Advanced knowledge of highway design and engineering, specializing in geometric design or roadside safety.
• Knowledge of MTO design practices including CDED and design criteria.
• Ability to manage projects and consultants, coordinating documentation and implementation of standards.
• Strong written and oral communication skills for reports, directives, and training.
• Analytical skills to assess highway design, drainage, and roadside safety features.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on geometric design and roadside safety design and products.
• Develop new highway design, geometric and roadside safety standards and improve existing ones.
• Create design aids such as templates, tables and software, and coordinate documentation and implementation.
• Manage project teams and lead evaluation and selection of consultants; administer assignments.
• Investigate and analyze geometric features and roadside safety devices at accident locations.

Skills

Geometric design

Roadside safety design

Project management

Analytical skills

Written communication

Oral communication

Education

Professional Engineer license (PEO)

Job description

Apply By: Friday, September 11, 2026 11:59 pm EDT

Senior Engineer, Design and Contract Standards

Standards and Contracts Branch, Highway Design Office

City:

Kingston, London, North Bay, St Catharines, Thunder Bay, Toronto

Your engineering skills and specialized knowledge of highway design and contract standards will make you a valuable team member of the Highway Design Office.

You will provide expert technical advice and undertake projects and investigations related to highway planning, design and engineering on a wide variety of provincial highways ranging from some of the busiest and most complex highways in the world to rural and remote low volume roads.

About Us

The Highway Design Office (HDO) is part of the Standards and Contracts Branch within the Ministry of Transportation. HDO is the ministry's technical authority for highway design standards, specifications, policies, and guidelines, and manages key provincial systems and services including the Ontario Provincial Standards Specifications (OPSS), Technical Consultation Portal (TCP), and Technical Publications (Tech Pubs).

As a member of HDO, you will have the opportunity to influence transportation infrastructure across the entire province, working at the intersection of engineering, policy, innovation, and public service. The office provides technical leadership in areas such as highway geometric design, drainage and hydrology, roadside safety, climate change adaptation, active transportation, landscape architecture, value engineering, standards development, digital modernization. Staff collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, municipalities, consultants, industry experts, and other government agencies to develop and implement solutions that shape how Ontario's highways are planned, designed, and delivered.

This position offers exposure to high-impact provincial initiatives, opportunities to provide technical leadership and expert advice, and the chance to contribute to standards, policies, guidelines, research, innovation, and continuous improvement initiatives that support a safe, sustainable, and resilient transportation system for Ontarians.

About the job

In this position, you will:

• provide expert advice on geometric design and roadside safety design and products
• develop new highway design, geometric and roadside safety standards and the improvement of existing standards
• develop design aids such as templates, tables and software systems and coordinate the documentation and implementation of new highway design and roadside safety standards
• manage project teams and lead the evaluation and selection of technical consultants and administer consultant assignments
• investigate, review and analyse geometric features and roadside safety devices at accident locations

What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• You are licensed with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) or You currently have accreditation as a Professional Engineer in a Canadian Province or Territory, and you will obtain a Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) license as a condition of accepting this position.
• You possess a valid driver's license or equivalent, as recognized by the province of Ontario.

Technical knowledge

• advanced knowledge of theories and practices of highway design and engineering, with a specialization in geometric design and/or roadside safety design
• good knowledge of MTO design practices and processes including CDED, design criteria and engineering memorandum
• knowledge of technologies and innovations in the highway design and roadside safety field to analyze, evaluate and substantiate data and reports
• knowledge of evaluation principles to plan and conduct evaluation studies in the development, improvement and implementation of highway design, drainage and roadside safety standards, policies and procedures
• good knowledge of specification and policy development and documentation
• good knowledge of project management, consultant management, and the ministry's organization, programs, policies and administrative procedures

Communication and interpersonal skills

• strong written communication skills required to prepare reports, directives, manuals, policies, specifications, engineering memorandum and training
• strong oral communication skills to plan objectives solicit input, deliver recommendations, provide expert advice and deliver training
• strong interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships at all levels within and outside the provincial government

Analytical and research skills:

• You possess analytical skills to assess changes to external factors, such as vehicle designs to determine their compatibility with geometric design and roadside safety standards
• You have the ability to evaluate geometric, drainage and safety features of highways to create data and reports
• You have strong analytical skills to evaluate problems, engineering data, recommendations, and determine related implications to suggest alternatives and identify cost effective and practical solutions

Organizational skills:

• You have demonstrated the ability to identify priorities, develop delivery plans and deliver on a variety of concurrent activities
• You have experience conducting evaluation studies in the development, improvement and implementation of highway design and roadside safety standards, policies and procedures, in interpreting and assessing results, and in devising solutions
• You utilize strong organization skills to coordinate studies for the development of optimum geometric and safety standards, policies and procedures for highway design

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti-Racism Policy

• 1 English Permanent, 301 St Paul St, St Catharines, West Region or 1355 John Counter Blvd, Kingston, East Region or 659 Exeter Rd, London, West Region or 447 McKeown Ave, North Bay, North Region or 159 Sir William Hearst Ave, Toronto, Toronto Region or 615 James St S, Thunder Bay, North Region

Language requirements and assessment:

All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual ("English/French"), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.